Both sides have already said that they intend to appeal if they lose, so today’s ruling may not settle the issue, but is the latest milestone in the long-standing efforts of the Swedish government to secure the extradition of Assange for “questioning,” even though they have yet to actually charge him with a crime.

Of course, underlying the case is the concern that the Swedish government has no intention of ever charging Assange with anything, but would simply transfer him to the US, where he has been condemned as a “terrorist” by top officials, and a number of them have called for his immediate execution.

The legal basis for extradition from Britain to Sweden ought to be fairly straightforward, and if that was as far as it went Assange likely would not have objected in the first place. It is the concern that he will find himself in the Obama Administration’s hands, and possibly “disappear” into some US black site, that has fueled this concern, and it is that possibility that will likely be weighing heavily on the mind of the magistrate in his ruling.